Ohio Governor's Office, DRC, DYS to host Cincy Collateral Consequences symposium

2-20-2012 Ohio:

Like many former felons, I have struggled with obtaining gainful employment after completing my sentence and released into society. Despite graduating cum laude with a Bachelor's degree from a major university, I found myself stocking shelves for minimum wage, and it took me seven months to find that job. I was one of the lucky ones, because the jobless rate among ex-felons is roughly five times higher than citizens without criminal records. There is a definite link between unemployment and recidivism, but many businesses routinely discriminate against individuals with criminal records. As the number of US citizens with a criminal record tops 65 million, with nearly 750,000 singled out for inclusion on the National Sex Offender Registry, the need for reintegration programs is integral to reduce recidivism.

Ohio is adressing this problem by hosting a symposium entitled " Addressing Collateral Consequences in Ohio, Part 4: Clearing the Road to Gainful Employment," Held from 10am to 2pm on February 29th, 2012 at The Vineyard Church Healing Center in Springdale, OH.This is an opportunity to address the many barriers ex-felons face in obtaining and maintaining gainful employment. According to the event flier, there will be a number of workshops at this event: ..For the remainder of this article: by Derek Logue